Application & Admission

Admission: PhD Program in Business Administration

A maximum of 12 new PhD students are admitted every year into the PhD Program in Business Administration at SSE. If you are admitted, you will be supervised by a member of faculty and will have a work space at the department of your specialization.

Applications to the PhD Program in Business Administration

The application period for the PhD Program in Business Administration has now closed.The next deadline for applications is February 1, 2018, and the online application platform will open again in December 2017.

Prerequisites

To be eligible for admission, we require the following:

Proven academic record. We require a) a university level degree, b) at least three semesters of business administration courses (90 ECTS) including a thesis worth at least 15 ECTS, and c) one year of Master level studies or the equivalent.

Parallell enrollment: If you are a first-year Master student at SSE you can apply and be admitted to the SSE PhD Program in the second year of your MSc studies, through the MSc-PhD parallel enrollment scheme. When admitted to the doctoral program, you begin the following fall Semester in the PhD Program instead of continuing your second year studies within the MSc Program.

English proficiency. If your native language is not English, and your undergraduate or graduate degree or its equivalent is not from an institution at which English is the language of instruction, then we require a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score.

Relevant research interests. SSE only makes offers to students whose interests fall within the research areas in which our faculty have the capacity to supervise. Please note that in some very popular areas of study there may be limited supervision capacity

We are looking for academic excellence and for students who are well prepared for a PhD program in business administration. Most of our students have a master’s degree in business administration or economics, or from related fields such as engineering, mathematics, psychology, and sociology (depending on the student’s PhD interests).

In addition, creativity and independent intellectual thought, the ability to provide deep insights and constructive criticism, and a high level of motivation and drive to accomplish one’s goals are viewed as prerequisites for successful independent research.

Admission to the SSE PhD program is granted by the Admissions Board for the SSE PhD Programs. We carefully evaluate all aspects of your application to determine how you can contribute to the SSE research community and the future of management research, education, and practice.

We welcome your interest in our PhD Program, and we look forward to receiving your application!

Application step by step

We only have one deadline per year, and program commencement occurs in the fall semester only. The deadline for admission to the program in the fall is February 1 of the same year.

Application Deadline

It is your responsibility to ensure your completed admission application is submitted prior to the deadline. Applicants are encouraged to register early for standardized testing and to arrange for timely submission of transcripts and letters of recommendation so that all documents will be received on or before the deadline.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered, and incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

We require the following application materials:

1) Resume / full CV.

2)Photocopy of your valid passport (if from a country outside the EU/EFTA), or a photocopy of your valid ID card (if from the EU/EFTA).

3) Statement of Purpose (Maximum of 1000 words)

Give a brief introduction to yourself and state what has stimulated your interest in pursuing a PhD. Discuss also why you have chosen SSE specifically as well as what your longer term career plans are.

4)Description of research project (maximum 3600 words)

The description of your proposed research should include the following sections:

Title

Brief overview of the research (approximately 300 words) that motivates why you have chosen to apply to SSE and how your research fits into the research areas and priorities of a particular SSE research group/center/institute or faculty member.

Positioning of the research (approximately 1500 words) that references the most important texts related to the research, demonstrates your understanding of the research issues, and identifies existing gaps (both theoretical and practical) that your research is intended to address.

Research design and methodology (approximately 1200 words) in which you identify how you intend to conduct the research and possible research techniques.

Implications (approximately 300 words) in which you provide an indication of the project’s potential contribution to scientific development.

A work plan (approximately 300 words) that describes the main phases in the project.

References.

We highly encourage you to examine the department website for information about the professors and their research. Are there faculty members whose interests parallel yours? If so, indicate this, as it shows you have done your homework and are highly motivated.

5) Official Transcripts for College/University Degrees and Courses, and Degree Certificates

Applicants must upload official transcripts from each of the academic institutions in which they have studied after completing their secondary education. Transcripts should provide the enrolment dates, all the subjects or courses, the units, the credits or the hours, the exams and the marks obtained for each subject. The grading scale of the institution and the student's rank in class should be included when possible.

Applicants must also upload official degree certificates that prove the awarding of all the degrees, diplomas or professional qualifications, indicating the month and year of this formal award. These certificates must be issued in their original language. If your transcript shows a name different from that on your application, indicate BOTH names clearly on the application form.

To be considered, all documents not in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, or English must be submitted together with a translation into one of these languages from the issuing institution or a professional translation service. Those candidates who have not completed their university studies at the time of presenting the admission application must send their incomplete academic record. These candidates should obviously not present the attested copy of their university qualification until they have obtained it. Acceptable transcript formats include scanned copies of paper transcripts produced by the institution, electronic transcripts produced by the institution, and web-based academic records produced by the institution and containing the name of the institution.

6) Your Bachelor and/or Master thesis, or another sample of written work

We would like to have some sample of academic research that you have authored or co-authored, e.g. a bachelor's or master's thesis, or research article. If the work is not written in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian or English, a one-page summary in English is also required.

7) Proof of English Proficiency, or TOEFL or IELTS test scores

SSE requires that applicants whose native language is other than English and who do not hold an undergraduate or graduate degree or its equivalent from a recognized institution at which English is the language of instruction must submit a score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

If English is not your first language, then evidence of proficiency in its use will be a decisive factor in the application review process since much of your success in our PhD program depends on your ability to master the English language, i.e., understand, read, write, and speak English proficiently, before arrival on the campus. We deliberately emphasize this because the program demands that students conduct a variety of tasks in English, such as writing numerous reports/papers, taking written examinations, and participating actively in classroom and other program discussions.

All applicants must be able to understand rapid, idiomatic English as spoken in lectures and group discussions by individuals of widely varying accents. Students from non-English-speaking countries must be able to communicate quickly and clearly in spoken and written English as well as to read it with ease.

Your TOEFL or IELTS score must not be more than two years old from July 1 of the application year. An official copy must be sent to SSE directly from the testing agency.

The TOEFL institution code number for SSE is 8175. ETS will also require you to select a departmental code although SSE does not require it (it does not matter which departmental code you choose; SSE will receive your scores as long as you choose institution code 8175).

The Stockholm School of Economics can be selected as a score recipient in the list of institutions that accept IELTS scores.

8) GMAT or GRE test scores

All applicants are highly recommended to take either the GMAT or GRE. Standardized test scores must be no older than five years.

Institution Codes are GRE: 7016 and GMAT: Stockholm School of Economics Doctoral/PhD in Business Administration or Management. You must have ETS send your GRE score or Pearson VUE send your GMAT score electronically. Be sure to make note of the ETS reference number for your score(s), as you will be required to provide this number for self-reported score(s).

If you previously submitted test scores via paper or electronically, but did NOT apply to our program, you must request the testing agency to resubmit your test scores.

9) Two Letters of Recommendation

Your referees should be individuals who are best qualified to evaluate and comment on your potential for PhD study. They may be either academic or professional; however, it is our preference to have academic references representing your field of research interest though we understand that there are situations where this may not be possible. In such circumstances, we encourage you to seek out those persons who can comment on qualities that will be relevant to academic pursuits, particularly research.

Please submit the e-mail addresses of your referees in the application platform. Once you have submitted your application, the system will automatically send a request to your referees to provide recommendation letters for you.

Recommendation letters may be in Swedish or English.

for further Information

Questions on the PhD Program in Business Administration? Please contact Agneta Carlin

Telephone: +46 (0)8 736 9632

Please note that application materials sent via e-mail will not be considered